To reside in the digital world of today, we need to gain control over our online lives. Messenger is one of the very popular messaging applications that have quite a lot of features that allow users to regulate their conversations and get control over whom they want or do not want to communicate with.
Under that circumstance, the restrictions feature can really help you acquire some buffer space needed to avoid unwanted communication. This blog will guide you through all the details on how to use these features effectively.
What Does Restricting Mean?
Restricting simply means limiting messages. If you restrict someone, you won’t get notifications when they message you, and your phone won’t ring when they call you. It does not mean that you blocked them fully, but they cannot interact with you.
Generally speaking, when the person is restricted, they may send messages and view your profile, yet their messages filter out from the main chat feed. In this way, a person maintains distance without cutting off ties altogether.
Advantages Of Restricting Someone
Here are some advantages of restricting someone in Messenger:
Gain Privacy:
With this restricting feature, you can control who can reach you directly.
Mental Health:
You can limit interactions with people who tend to worsen your online experience to a great extent and cause you mental trauma.
Flexibility:
You can always unrestrict them later if the situation is comfortable enough with that particular person. That’s why you need to know how to unrestrict on Messenger.
Reduced Drama:
You can avoid unnecessary conflict or confrontation with someone whose actions are annoying by restricting them.
Selective Engagement:
It allows you to maintain a casual connection without the need to respond instantly or deeply.
Filtering Spam:
If someone spams you persistently with unwanted promotional messages, limiting their access will clean up your inbox.
Tracking Behavior:
You can track the messages of the person without being engaged with them so that you may decide to re-engage or keep away from them.
Key Differences: Restricting vs. Blocking
Restricting someone limits their interactions with you. They cannot reach you. At the same time, blocking someone means that they cannot contact you at all in whatever way they use. A blocked person cannot send messages and cannot view your profile, and they cannot see anything you post. However, restricting maintains the lines of communication open.
How to Restrict Someone in Messenger
On Mobile
- Open the Messenger app from your mobile device.
- Go to the conversation that you would like to restrict.
- Tap the name of the person at the top of the conversation to open their profile.
- Scroll down and tap “Restrict,” and then confirm that you want to restrict the person.
On Desktop
- First, you need to log into Messenger using a web browser. To do so, just type messenger.com into any browser and sign into your account.
- Find the chat with the person you’d like to restrict.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the chat.
- Tap “Restrict” to lock their account and choose to confirm.
How To Manage Notifications After Restricting
After you have restricted someone, you will probably make some readjustments with your notifications. Navigate to settings and set up your alerts. This way, you will not be constantly annoyed by unwanted messages from restricted contacts on Messenger.
How to Unrestrict On Messenger
Unrestricting someone on Messenger means removing restrictions you have placed on them before. After you have unrestricted someone, you can receive all the previous messages, including texts they may have sent while they were restricted.
On Mobile
- First, open your messenger app.
- Your profile should have a field called “Privacy.” Click the privacy option and then go to restricted users.
- Tap “Restricted Accounts”. Here, you can find a list of all the restricted users you are connected with.
- Click the name and click the “Unrestrict” button.
On Desktop
- Open Messenger in a browser and then log in to Messenger.
- Tap your profile picture and go to “Settings.”
- Find the “Restricted Accounts” there and then tap the name and confirm the unrestrict.
From all the above-mentioned tips, you can understand how to unrestrict on Messenger.
Things You Need To Know Before Restrict Someone
Here are some of the things you need to know before restricting someone:
Know Your Reasons:
Sometimes, knowing your reasons for doing something is enough to clarify your boundaries. Ask yourself why you want to restrict this person. Consider how restricting someone may affect your relationship in the long term.
The restricted individual may also miscalculate your situation, and misunderstandings or arguments may arise. Just be prepared for everything.
Restricted User Can Message You:
Even if a user has been restricted, they can still message you. They just won’t appear in your main feed. You won’t see messages from them unless you check it.
The person you restrict won’t know that they have been restricted. However, they might notice their messages aren’t getting through to you.
Privacy:
If you are only worried about your privacy and don’t want any random person to text you, you can restrict someone. Restrictive users can still read your publicly posted content and comments.
This is a good time to review the people whom you want in your digital world and make changes to your friend list if necessary.
Be Prepared For Reactions:
When you decide to restrict, be prepared for the possibility of renewed communication. Consider how you want to handle that. Sometimes, you need to face the restricted person face to face, so be prepared for everything.
Review Your Privacy Settings
Before you block someone, take some time to review your privacy settings on Messenger and all other social media portals to ensure your overall online safety. Stay Informed. Update your privacy features with Messenger. That way, you can make informed decisions.
To Conclude
Contact management on Messenger is a necessity, as it keeps your personal details and mental well-being safe. You must know how to restrict and unrestrict users to enjoy social media according to your will. After restricting, you should know how to unrestrict on Messenger if needed. Sometimes, it’s okay to be a little picky, and these features have been designed to help you do so.
